"HHMI funded, team-based IDR project has enabled me learn the best practices of mentoring.
At the onset was a rigorous theoretical exposure to the principles and practice of
the task ahead, followed by an actual internship-like real mentoring.”

“Interdisciplinary research is essential to answer the “big” questions in science.
I have worked in industrial labs in the past and have seen firsthand how research
groups from varying fields help one another progress with research.”

“Serving as a mentor also showed me how the role grows and changes day to day. When
we first started working together I was only a mentor in the HHMI role. But as my
mentee progressed with her senior year I began helping her with the graduate school
application process, the same way my advisor helped me. It was great seeing her progress
as a scientist through HHMI and make the effort to continue her scientific endeavors
in the future. Hearing she was accepted into a graduate program and offered an assistantship
has been my favorite mentoring moment so far and I look forward to mentoring again
this summer.”

“I have learned that successful IDR projects require a lot more than strong science.
Working as an interdisciplinary group requires strong communication and a willingness
amongst all members to work as a team…. I’ve seen the greatest success within our
group when members are willing to work out of their comfort zone and learn more about
how the other side operates.”

“It turned out that instead of being the mentee, I turned into a bridge of knowledge
between two senior principal investigators. Ordinarily, meetings on a very small concept
would take up to two hours just because what a terminology means to one is different
if not opposite. And that was the driving force for me to be involved in an interdisciplinary
research at a more advanced level as a mentor. .... I learned the art of reaching
out and communicating ideas across to people who may not be in my field and listening
to people of diverse opinion as well as learning new things. .... I would love to
involve myself more in IDR projects in future as that’s the future direction.”

Binghamton University-HHMI Program: Interdisciplinary research for undergraduate majors
in science and engineering

Graduate student mentors for HHMI program

Role and benefits

The role of the graduate student mentor is to assist in the assessment of the way
the interdisciplinary research teams are set up and managed, with special focus on
the training and development of the undergraduate student as a researcher and the
graduate student as a research mentor. The research projects will be focused on a
problem, question, invention or method development relating to biology or applications
in biomedical, behavioral, environmental or agricultural fields. The research will
require collaboration of laboratories from two complementary groups that represent
the life sciences on one hand and computer science, engineering, mathematics or the
physical sciences on the other hand. Research projects are for a calendar year, starting
at the end of May through April.

As research is becoming more interdisciplinary, specialized training in mentoring
undergraduates in interdisciplinary research will be very valuable in the graduate
student’s career development. Graduate students can also expect to expand their research
interests and expertise.

How to participate

Graduate students who have ideas in line with the program goals and are interested
in mentoring undergraduate students in this program should discuss ideas with their
faculty research mentors. Ideas for research projects will be submitted by interested
faculty, who will also name graduate students along with their specific mentoring
role in the research project.

Graduate students can also encourage undergraduate students to apply.

Graduate students who belong to groups that are underrepresented in their disciplines
are highly encouraged to explore the possibility of participation.

Support provided and expectations

Graduate student mentors will receive $1,000 support for:

Participation in a workshop specifically designed to train graduate student as mentors
for undergraduate students in interdisciplinary research across STEM (science, technology,
engineering, mathematics) disciplines. The workshop will include:

training in ethical decision-making for responsible conduct of research (RCR)

best practices in mentoring undergraduate research students

the nature of interdisciplinary research; how to maximize the benefits and minimize
the risks

Contribution to the program in ways that will help arrive at best practices in mentoring
undergraduates in interdisciplinary research across STEM (science, technology, engineering,
mathematics) disciplines. This will be done through reports twice in the summer, once
at the end of fall semester and once at the end of the following spring semester.
Graduate students will be asked to provide:

evaluation of the work of the undergraduate student they are guiding

evaluation of two other students' summer research posters

surveys and reflective essays on successes, problems encountered and their own development
as a research mentor

perceptions of the social dynamics of those involved in the research project, with
the undergraduate student as the focus.